I Like the rotating panel idea as I did one myself years ago--I think automating it is going to make a complicated projected even harder and also add a whole lot of unnecessary width to the cabinet or really eat into the underside of the control panel if you decide to keep the sides flush with the cabinet sides.

It's certainly made this project a lot more complicated that's for sure. I guess I just needed a challenge and motorising the rotating monitor just wasn't enough for me

I've taken some pics of how the CP unit sits in the cab, to give a better idea of overall look. Yes, it does move the monitor back/up a little, but I don't think its too far. I've tried to minimise the boxy look by having a circular front plate to cover the hidden control panels (missing in these pics).

As you can see from the top view, there is a static 6cm ledge each side of the rotating unit. I am planning on hiding this "join" somewhat with strategically placed artwork, or I may put El wire along the sides where the joins are so that they illuminate the plexi on the CP top. I ideally wanted the whole width to rotate, but this is the trade off (either this or as you say, add width to the cabinet).

Here you can see how the unit sits in the cab. The steel frame will be mounted at an angle so that the front/bottom panel of the cab (with the coin door) doesn't stick out too much. I actually think I'll probably end up mounting the top 6mm ledges on each side of the panels to the steel frame itself, so the whole thing is then one unit that can easily be taken out in one piece.

Here's a shot of inside the cab, you can kind of see the angle the steel frame is mounted at, with enough room still for the coin mechs/door.

Finally here's a side on profile so you can see how compact I'm trying to keep it.

And while I don't want to discourage you from a cool project here's how experience played out on mine: I had panel 1 as my 2 player setup--it stayed that way probably 90% of the time. I had a driving panel that was used maybe 8% and the panel 3 was a lowly 2% of the time.

My thoughts are that I'm only doing this if I can get it fully automated. I don't want players to have to think about having to change panel, rotate the monitor depending on which game they choose - it needs to do it all automatically, and it needs to do it well (without hurting anyone!). I guess this is why I'm putting so much thought up-front before actually starting to build anything. Having had my previous cab up and running for 6 years the main thing I wanted was for 1 player games to have nice comfy centered controls. I hated playing stuff off to the left or right (I'd say 60% usage on my cab was single player games). I also wanted to keep the spinners and add a dedicated 4-way. So it was either this or a choice from a few almost-frankenpanel designs, and this won.

Aah great link - many thanks! That is one monster CP! Interesting and clever how he used the roller latches. I hadn't thought of that but I still think using magnets is the way to go. I just can't see a mechanical/lock system being secure enough for an arcade control panel (imagine a locked door - you can still rattle it a little). It needs to be rock-solid with no movement.

For the dedicated 1 player panel, I'd kill the 8-way stuff right off the bat. It's kind of redundant when you already have it in your 2 player panel. In my opinion, most 8-way games are "usually" on the left side anyway in the actual arcades (2 players, Character is usually on the left etc).

I think that panel would best be served as a dedicated 4 way panel instead, with the 4 way joystick centered. Most 4 way games were 1 player at a time (2 players usually switch positions when it's their turn). Plus playing Pacman games will feel more natural then being on the side.

For the dedicated 1 player panel, I'd kill the 8-way stuff right off the bat. It's kind of redundant when you already have it in your 2 player panel. In my opinion, most 8-way games are "usually" on the left side anyway in the actual arcades (2 players, Character is usually on the left etc).

I think that panel would best be served as a dedicated 4 way panel instead, with the 4 way joystick centered. Most 4 way games were 1 player at a time (2 players usually switch positions when it's their turn). Plus playing Pacman games will feel more natural then being on the side.

Thanks for the feedback. I think I'm still going to keep the 8-way, because I really love the stick I've chosen, it's very nice for shootemups with a short nicely defined throw. However you've convinced me to swap the positions of the 4-way and 8-way so the 4-way is now in the centre.

OK... Loved the idea of 'Big Whoop'... but it just didn't seem retro-arcadey enough, so I've changed it to something a little more personal and retro-sounding: "JIMBOVISION"

A friend has done some great concept art based on a logo idea I found and liked online: -

Ignore the cab shape and control panel in the above pic, this is an old sketchup model he was working off. Any ideas for the design are welcome. CPO artwork still to be decided so suggestions welcome on that too.

Started to build the CP today! Borrowed a friend's rail saw... maaahn, I want one of those - awesome tool. Makes light work of cutting accurately, and was great for the 30 degree cuts I needed for the end-triangle and top-edges. 3mm Plexi-glass will be cut tomorrow in a similar way.

Next up is finally getting hold of all the controls. I have about half of them, and the other half is waiting to be delivered hopefully tomorrow (including 2x Dominux8's ). I'll then be drilling/routing the holes for the controls and mounting them all to make sure everything fits. I'll then start on the steel frame.

I also need to CNC 4x joystick mounting plates (1 for each of the Dominux8's, one for a 4-way pac-pro, and one for my favourite MCA 8-way) as I need to top-mount them. I'll be CNC'ing them at a friends house using 2.5mm aluminium. This'll hopefully be done later this week so will post an update.

I have most of the components I need now for the motorised rotation unit too, so once the rest of the controls turn up, expect a BIG update from me.

Buttons can be used for asteroids etc (RL, RR on the left, Thrust, Fire on right, hyperspace in middle)

Bottom Panel

2 x GGG Dominux8 8-ways

4 x Electric ICE leaf-switch LED buttons each player (we don't really play fighters, plus see note about space below)

U-Trak LED trackball in center

Can be used for C64, Amiga ScummVM games (using trackball as mouse)

Robotron - obviously

Some interesting restrictions on the layout... space under the panel is TIGHT. Trying to get everything to fit without overlapping when the panels are wrapped round together has been challenging! Also, the joysticks are all in the middle of the panels (vertically) because they need to be else they'll stick up too much preventing the unit from rotating. So far, everything fits... just... by a few mm.

I've tried to keep it simple, but allowing maximum flexibility, but suggestions welcome before I start drilling. Pleeease tell me if I've missed something major, because I've been staring at it for a while now and I might not be able to see the wood from the trees.

Got the Hantarex Polo up and tested the mod to add a degauss switch for when the rotation occurs. The Polo only degausses automatically on cold start, which is no good for my rotating monitor setup. The mod involved adding an SSR and is controlled by an arduino - meaning I can now wire up a pushbutton or send a signal via serial/usb to it to degauss automatically once the monitor is rotated. Got a fair bit of help with this mod by a good friend - major learning experience

Tested by touching a screwdriver to those 2 pins on the end of the black and white lead

She's alive

In other news... cut the plexi panels today for the 3 CPs. Have to sand and polish the edges now. Update on that to follow.

I've decided not to use plexi to cover the panels as I think I would prefer a nice vinyl overlay finish. I've got 12mm ply and two Dominux8 joysticks (very nice joysticks btw!) that I want to top-mount so I get the shaft length I want. Time for my first CNC milling session!

First off, used LibreCAD to get the 2D model done...

Then used CamBam to set the machining tasks and tool paths...

Clamped down the 2.5mm aluminium sheet I bought off ebay and off we go...

So after a successful first CNC milling it was time for the first of the three control panels to receive the same treatment.

As I really want to try out these Dominux8's, I chose that panel first, seeing as though I now have the spangly new mounting plates ready

First up, LibreCAD, then CamBam to set the tool paths etc...

It's quite a small CNC machine, and my friend and I had to come up with some creating clamping measures to get the panel to fit... in fact it was just too big to do all in one go, so split into two and did the player2 joystick and buttons separately by moving the panel back towards the rear of the machine after the other half of the panel had already been cut.

This was a LOT quicker than the aluminium mounting plates! Here's a pic of it in action complete with vacuum. Loads of dust!

All done The mounting plates sit lovely and flush... still have to countersink the bolt holes but I think this is going to sit quite nicely and flat (with some filler etc) underneath the CPO.

But, seriously, I'm curious to see how the rotating CP comes along. I like the idea of having a more minimalist panel and, thus, the ability to "swap" them out. I just haven't see any that float my boat as far as modular CPs. The rotating CP seems the closest thing to what I'd consider for a cab, so I'll be watching the progress here. Hopefully, it works out nicely. At least you have a good start!

how are you planning on wiring?will you wire it up and then join the sides, will the sides be joined in a way so that you can service the wiring later if needed?

Thanks

Plan is to make 2 triangular end plates in 12mm ply, and they'll be secured in the 3 corners by machine screws going through the top of the panels in the corners, into small triangular batons glued to the inside of the end plate. (see pic below). I'll probably be screwing them into inserts so I can screw/unscrew many times without ruining the ply/threading.

Wiring... I'll have an ipac ultimate mounted on the inside of one of the panels. I plan use ribbon cables and make connectors for each panel into the ipac. Doing this along with the way the panels are secured means it should hopefully be a simple matter of unscrewing 4 screws, unconnecting one or two connecting blocks, and I can just pull a panel out for maintenance away from the cab. In theory anyway...

Re-cut the triangular CP end panels last night on the CNC machine. This part needs to be very accurate so I wasn't happy with the panels I'd previously cut with a rail saw. The shaft hole now is dead in the center and both pieces are identical. This should enable a smooth and even rotation...

Milling commences...

12mm stainless steel shaft hole dead in the center...

Shaft fits nice and snug

Next I need to glue on some timber mounting blocks on the insides corners of these end panels and put threaded inserts into them to hold the control panels through the top with machine screws.

Looking good so far, when I wired up my panels I used molex connectors so I can easily remove a panel and work on it. The use of the CNC machine will be a big help because extreme accuracy in your cuts of your panels is key when it comes to rotating them.

Also did a test print of the spinner panel artwork. Still some tweaks needed, but I'm liking the simplicity of it... feedback/suggestions are welcome!

As I'm planning on having illuminated controls, I need to sort this out for the joysticks and the spinners. The trackball and buttons are all taken care of thanks to Ultimarc and GGG.

Cue CNC machine again on some 3mm clear acrylic sheet... have made 2 spinner inserts for edge-lighting. There is a small etched ring in the centre of the top surface that is 0.1mm deep. This sits around the spinner at about 4mm larger radius than the spinner itself and looks pretty good when edge-lit from around the outside of the insert. The artwork overlay will go up to the edge of this etched ring (not covering it).

These acrylic inserts will be recessed into the top of the 12mm ply panel, and I'm planning on then using clear acrylic 4mm rods set at a 45 degree angle and pushed in from the bottom of the panel. The LEDs will sit here (probably 4 around the circumference, but I'll see how it looks). This should hopefully mean I can fix failed LEDs at a later date far easier than if they were stuck in the panel or on the top directly under the artwork.

Fingers crossed the defender joystick and my 4-way will turn up in the next week or so, and I can get the 3rd panel cut

Cheers - yeah me too. I have a pocket LED torch that I've tried it with, but it's hard to get the full effect with that. I'm planning on doing something similar to your NephRings for the joysticks. They are very cool. Is the center bit (where the hole for the joystick shaft is) chamfered at 45 degrees or something?

The clear acrylic rods arrived so I started playing about with the spinner illumination some more...

I've cut out a test mounting for one of the spinner inserts in a spare bit of ply.Lots of light coming through the rod when holding an LED up to the other end...

To try and get some more light in the top/etched part around the spinner, I've put some aluminium tape around the edge of the insert to stop light escaping. The end of the rod sits snug against the filed notch (left side of this pic) at a 45 degree angle...

Sorry for the terrible picture, but you can kind of see the amount of light you get with a single LED. I'm planning to put 4 LEDs/rods around the edge of the insert. I'd kinda like it brighter as it looks fairly dim in real life, so any hints/tips how to do that would be much appreciated...

In other news... my defender joystick finally arrived, courtesy of Jimmer (and very nice it is too) So 3rd panel will be cut very soon

I've also installed WinXP 64-bit and got my Hantarex Polo 15Khz monitor, and Litemax stretched LCD (for marquees) ready for setting up the software side of things (groovymame etc). I'm having a few issues getting both the monitors to play ball together on the same card (ATI HD4350), but still working on it... may end up resorting to using a 2nd gfx card for the Litemax.